Cuba Day

Spending a day learning about Cuba’s history, politics, economy and culture was fascinating.

We began by exploring the historical context of Cuba before the Communist Revolution, including its indigenous history, Spanish colonisation, US occupation and the political dynamics that enabled Batista’s rise to power. This was followed by an examination of the Revolution itself, as well as the US influence and internal factors that contributed to instability between the 1920s and 1950s.

We then took part in a carousel of activities, including learning to play Cuban Nine Dot Dominoes while enjoying chocolate cigars, a guided VR tour of Cuba, Cuban music videos, and reading an article by the Guardian’s war correspondent in Havana, Ruaridh Nicoll.

After a lunch consisting of batido de mango, guarapo (a sugar cane and lime drink), and Cuban sandwiches with salad, we had the opportunity to hear a live talk from him, broadcast from the US, entitled Cuba Under Siege: Life on the Island Today and the View at Home and Abroad. This was followed by another live talk by Felix Valdes Garcia, a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Havana, entitled Communism – a Beautiful Dream?

Learning about Cuba and its story was really beneficial for the Economics, Politics, History and Geography students in the room, while providing everyone with a clearer understanding of a country we otherwise may not have had the opportunity to learn about. I was especially surprised to learn about the extent of political corruption in Cuba in the early to mid-1900s, such as the existence of "ghost workers", whose salaries were pocketed by officials. I also found it interesting to hear about the spectrum of communism, and we heard the argument that Cuba is often labelled in the media as an extreme communist country, whereas it was described during the talk as a failed socialist state.

We were saddened to learn of the increasing suffering of its people as the US blockade begins to take the lives of the most vulnerable.

Overall, this experience was incredibly valuable to us all, and it was great to try Cuban food. Thank you so much to Mr Robertson for organising it and to everyone involved!